Pappas submitted a bid to purchase the vacant building in September for a restaurant use, which was one of two bids received for the site. However, the Jerry Remy’s restaurant plan surfaced for the first time just this week, announced via Twitter by one of the Boston partners, John O’Rourke.

Pappas confirmed the joint effort on Thursday, which is contingent on city approval of the sale and redevelopment plan.

Pappas initially planned to locate a New Zealand style restaurant and specialty coffee and dessert shop in the building. He decided recently to partner instead with the Boston group, believing it will provide a greater draw to the riverfront and nearby Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Boston group includes: Jerry Remy, a Boston Red Sox broadcaster and former Red Sox player; O’Rourke, Remy’s long-time friend and business partner; and John Mascia, a managing partner in the restaurant business.

“I thought the name recognition was awesome,” Pappas said. “I thought they had the right formula and the right management team. We kind of hitched our wagons together.”

Pappas’ bid for the property and a competing proposal from a development group involving Raipher D. Pellegrino, remain under review by the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, which owns the building.

Mascia, reached for comment Thursday, said the group is “excited” by the chance to move to the Basketball Hall of Fame development area.

‘I like the location, the Hall of Fame complex, the Visitor Information Center,” Mascia said. “That is where we would like to go. We think we could create an additional draw to that area.”

Mascia said the partners would hope to open a restaurant there by the fall of 2012 or spring of 2013.

The city has not released details of either proposal for the visitor center, pending completion of its review.

The visitor center building has been vacant since 2009 when it relocated inside the Hall of Fame.

Pellegrino was reluctant to speak about his proposal for the vacated center building while bids remain under the redevelopment authority’s review. Lustra LLC, however, was formed in April for services related to a “restaurant” operation, according to corporate records.

Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar & Grill are also located at Logan Airport, at the Boston Seaport, and across the street from Fenway Park. In addition, there are plans for another site in Fall River.

Pappas and a partner, Michael A. Spagnoli, invested $14 million in redeveloping the former Basketball Hall of Fame, also on West Columbus Avenue, adjacent to the Visitor Information Center site. The site includes the LA Fitness Center and Mama Iguana’s Restaurant.